Acetylene-gas apparatus.



Patented May 22, I900.

(Application filed May 13, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

1 z 2 1 P F A w 1 K a u E :iiiii, P if 7P 1 z 1 r J 2 D! 1 5 fl/ 2 Mm w W/r/vifis INVENTUR- QM JAMESEFULTUN- a l fl; wafiba.

we "9mm PETERS co. morumnu. wAsmno-ruu. a. c

No. 649,98I. Patented May 22, I900. J. E. FULTON.

AGETYLENE GAS APPARATUS.

(Applicqtion filed May 18, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Shaets-$heet 2.

w: NORRIS PETERS coluvnurozurruou wnsmuc'rcn. o. c.

No. 649,9 Patented May 22, I900. J. E. FULTON;

- ACETYLENE GAS APPARATUS.

' A lim'tion filed May 18, 1899.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

' ByArrX THF. NORRIS Prrsas cc. PHOYO-LITHCL. WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. FULTON, OF ATHENS, ILLINOIS.

ACETYLENE-GAS APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 649,981, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed May 18,1899. Serial No. 717,271. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

' Be'it known that 1, JAMES E. FULTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Menard and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Machines, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use my said invention.

My invention relates to machines of that class in which calcium carbid is decomposed in water in a suitable generator, and the gas thus generated is conveyed to a suitable receiver, from which it is conveyed for use as occasion may require.

The purposes of my invention are to provide an apparatus so constructed and arranged that excessive pressure of gas within the receiver will react on the generator-cylinder, so as to raise the cylinder in such manner as to withdraw the carbid from contact with the water, and thereby suspend the generation of gas within the generator until the pressure in the receiver is reduced to such extent as to permit the generator-cylinder to descend and again bring the carbid into contact with the water in the generator, thus maintaining a practically-uniform supply and pressure of gas within the receiver; to'provide simple and effective means for cooling the gas before its admission to the receiver; to provide a magazine in connection with the generator adapted to contain a number of charges of calcium carbid and adapted to discharge said charges separatelyinto a receiver within the generator; to provide means for forming a gas-tight connection of the magazine with the generator-cylinder; to provide a carbid receptacle or basket of improved construction; to provide a gas-tight closure between the magazine and the generator-c5 1 inder and means for openingvand closing same; to provide guides of improved construction to guide and limit the movements combinations of parts shown in the annexed drawings, to which reference is hereby made and hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal transverse section through the magazine on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal transverse section through the generator on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal transverse section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section through the magazine and the closure on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

Similar letters of reference designate like parts in all. of the views.

The main structure of the generator consists of a shell A, closed at the bottom and open at the top, and a generator-cylinder B, closed at the top and open at the bottom and freely slidable within the shell A. The

main structure of the receiver consists of a shell D, open at the top and closed at the bottom, and a receiver-cylinder E, closed at the top and open at the bottom and freely slidable within the shell D. Coaxial with the shell D and secured to the bottom there'- of is a cylindrical cooling-chamber F, which is closed at the top. A receptacle G, adapted to contain calcium carbid, and preferably in the form of a basket with open meshes, is suspended from the under side of the top of the cylinder B by rods 9 or other suitable means. A bent pipe H is secured in any suitable manner to the shell A, and its vertical member extends upward through the bottom of the shell Ainto the interior of the cylinder B and its horizontal member pro- IOO ' excessive the gas will act against and raise the level somewhat below the upper ends of the pipes H, H, and H and a suitable quantity of calcium carbid is placedin the basketG,"

and the cylinder B descends until the calcium carbid or a part of it becomes immersed in the water. in the shell A, whereupon the generation'of gas begins by reason of the wellknown chemical action between the calcium carbid and the water. The gas thus generated passes down in the pipe H, and thence through the pipe H and through the cooling-chamber F, where it is cooled by the water surroundin g the chamber, and thence into the receiver E, where it is stored for use, and whence it is conveyed by the pipe I-Fintothe filter K, and thence to the main service-pipehfrom which it is distributed to the burners in the usual well-known manner. 1

The degree of the pressure of gas within: the receiving-cylinder E is determined and controlled by the weight of the generator-cylinderB and its appurtenances. If, however,

that is not sufficient to produce the desired pressure, a suitable weight or weights (not shown) maybe placed on top of the generator-cylinder. By reason of the construction shown and described the gas will continue to flow through the pipes H and H into the receiving-cylinder E so long as the pressure is not excessive; but when the pressure becomesgenerator-cylinder B to such an extent as to withdraw the calciumcarbid from contact with the water, thereby stopping the generation of gas until the pressure is reduced to the req-. uisite degree, whereupon the generatoncyli'nder'will again descend, bringing the calcium carbid into contact with the water and cansing the resumption of the generation of gas. It will be seen then that the gas acts directly on the cylinders themselves to regulate and control the pressure without the employment vof valves, levers, or other extraneous, unnecessary, and complicating devices.

The magazine M is preferably cylindrical in form'and is divided by radial partitions m into a series of chambers. In the lower end of each chamber is a door m, fitting in an opening m in the bottom of the chamber,

said opening and door being of approximately thesame contour, but somewhat smaller than the bottom of the chamber. Near the extreme edges of the door are underlying lugs m, which support thedoor and serve to keep it from falling through the opening and on which the, door turns .to open downward, as hereinafterdescribed. RodsM passthrough and are slidable in gas-tight glands m? in the top of the magazine, and thelower ends of the rods have a hinge connection m with the doors m. The rodsM are threaded for a part of their length, as at m Thumb-nuts m fit on the threaded parts m and act against the upper surface of the top of the magazine so as to'raise the rods when the nuts are turned in *one direction, as to the right, and so as to lower the rods when the nuts are turned in the opposite direction, asto the left. When the nuts are turned to lower the rods to such an extent as to release the threaded part of the 'rods from the nuts, the rods slide downward through the nuts and permit the doors m to turn onthe lugs m thereby discharging the calcium carbid through the opening in the bottom of the chamber into the basket G. By reason of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the magazine and its doors the contents of all of the chambers is discharged almost directly under the center of the magazine, thereby assuringthe delivery of the calcium carbid approximately at the center of the basket and obviating any risk of the calcium carbid falling outside of the basket. This method of delivering the calcium carbid is of great practical advantage, because if the calcium carbid were discharged directly into the water there would be too rapid and violent generation of gas, which might result disastrously. By employing the means shown and described this danger is. com- .pletely obviated. V

On top of the cylinder B is an annular channel b, in which a gasket 1), of rubber, felt, or other yielding material, fits, the gasket being of a thickness somewhat greater than the depth of the channel. An annular flange m surrounds the magazine and overlapsthe gasket b. Screws 1) pass through thefiange m and screw into the top of the cylinder B. When the screws 1) are screwed down, they cause the flange m to bear firmly all around on the gasket 1), therebyv forminga gas-tight connection of the magazine with the cylinder. In charging the magazine the screws 17 are unscrewed from the top of the cylinder, the cylinderis then removed andinve'rted, and the charges are introduced into the chambers through the openings in the bottom of the magazine. The doors are then closed sufficiently to bring the screw parts m of the rods M into position to be engaged bythe nuts m The nuts are then turned so as to draw the rods outward, thereby completely closing and securing the doors. The magazine is then replaced, with its flange resting on the gasket, and the screws 12 are turned to secure the magazine to the top of the cylinder, as already described.

In order to prevent the escape of gas while the magazine'is removed, I provide a closure for the opening in the upper end of the generator-cylinder, which I will now describe.

This closure consists of two slides N, slidable between parallel guides 13 on the under side of the top of the cylinder B. On the under side of each slide is an internally-screw-threaded lug N, the threads in one of the lugs being right-hand and those in the other left-hand threads. Secured to one end of one of the slides is a cushion N of rubber, felt, or other elastic material, which serves to form a gastight joint between the contiguous ends of the slides when they come together. A screw N fits in the screw-threaded holes in the lugs N and is threaded for such part of its length as is sufficient to move the slides to the required extent. The screw-threads in the lugs N being, respectively, right-hand threads and left-hand threads, the slides may be drawn toward each other or may he slid away from each other, accordingly as the screw N is turned to the right or to the left. Directly under the line of contact of the abutting ends of the slides is a slight protuberance n? on each of the lower guides, on which the under side of each of the slides rides, and the protuberances serve to press the slides up closely against the upper guides, so as form gas-tight joints between the slides and the upper guides. The screw-rod N passes through a suitable gland b on the generator-cylinder B and has at its outer end a suitable handle it by means of which the rod may be turned.

The means for guiding and limiting the upand-down movements of the generator-cylinder and the receiver-cylinder consist of vertical rods P, secured to the generator-shell B and the receiver-shell D, respectively, by rivets p or other suitable securing devices. At

'the upper end of each of the rods is a fixed ball or stop 19. Brackets P, secured to the generator-cylinder and the receiver-cylinder, respectively, are provided with eyes 19 which slide freely on the rods P. Coiled springs P surround the rods P between the stops 19 and the eyes 19 and serve to prevent concussion of the brackets against the stops.

The lower part of the generator-shell A slopes inward, as shown. At the center of the lower extremity of the shell A is a valve R, fitted with a slide R, sliding between guides r. A rod R is connected with one end of the slide R and passes outward through a gland r and has at its outer end a handle by means of which the slide may be pulled outward or pushed inward to open or to close the valve, as occasion may require. Directly under the valve R is a pan S to receive the lime or sediment as it is discharged from the lower end of the generator. The sediment resulting from the decomposition of the calcium carbid is precipitated and accumulates inthe lower conical part of the generator-shell A, from which it may be discharged into the pan S by opening the valve R, thereby permitting the water to rush out through the valve and carry the sediment with it. The outflow of a part of the water suffices to remove the sediment without interfering with the operation of the machine, sufficient water being afterward supplied to replace that drawn from the shell.

The filter K is preferably a sheet-metal cylinder divided into two compartments by a wire-gauze partition it, one of the compartments being filled with some porous and absorbent material, such as charcoal, and the other compartment being filled with fibrous material, such as asbestos or cotton fiber. In passing through the filter any solid or extraneous matter carried by the gas is arrested, and the gas is freed from moisture and delivered to the service-pipe in fit condition for use.

A valve J in the pipe intercommunicating between the receiVer cyIinder andthe filter serves to shut off the flow of gas to the filter when it is desired to do so.

When it is desired to charge the magazine, it is only necessary to turn the handle so as to draw the slides N together in order to close the closure and prevent the escape of gas from the generator-cylinder.

By reason of the construction which I have shown and described my gas-machine is prac tically continuous in its operation, and the calcium carbid may be replenished and the lime and sediment may be removed without the escape of any considerable quantity of gas and without interfering with thegeneration and delivery of gas.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas-machine, a flanged magazine having radial partitions downwardly-opening doors, and means for operating said doors; in combination with a generator-cylinder, a gasket between said cylinder and said magazine, securing devices connecting said magazine with said cylinder, a receptacle within said cylinder, a shell inclosing said cylinder, and a gas-receiver in communication with said cylinder as set forth.

2. In a gas-machine, a magazine having compartments open at one end, doors fitting in the openings in said compartments, rods screw-threaded for a part of their length and having pivotal connection with said doors, glands on said magazine through which said rods pass and thumb nuts fitting on the threaded parts of said rods, as set forth, in combination with a generator-cylinder, a receptacle for gas-producing material within said cylinder and a closure within said cylinder between the magazine and said receptacle, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Springfield, Illinois, this 14th day of February, A. D. 1899.

JAMES E. FULTON.

Witnesses:

TURNEY ENGLISH, ALEX. McCosKER; 

